Monday, December 31, 2012

I'm sure you all are wondering where on earth I went. Let's make a list:

I worked 2 jobs over the summer which took up more of my time than expected.

Had to deal with a large grain weevil infestation; I shake my tiny fist at organic soba noodles which were definitely the cause! As a result I had to throw out A LOT of food. Ugh. No food = no recipes.

Went on my first week long vacation of the year and threw my back out, for reals! I spent the week on muscle relaxants and asleep.

Spilled some boiling water on myself resulting in 1st & 2nd degree burns on one arm and 1st degree burns on my chest. I couldn't dress myself properly for at least 2-3 weeks, let alone cook or do beauty posts. I mean I still painted my nails, because I'm pretty sure almost nothing could stop me from doing that. ;)

Dealing with mental health and developmental issues that I've pretty much always dealt with but they have been exacerbated significantly in the past 6 months or so.

It's been a heck of a year, let me tell you! I'm pretty pleased to see 2012 go, mostly because it kind of sucked.

So even though I am spending New Year's at home with Mr. Core, I thought I would post my hypothetical New Year's Eve look. I recommend this look for anyone who is fierce and single on New Year's Eve. It's not for the timid, as black lipstick rarely is. But it makes a statement about how badass you are, and you don't need no one to kiss, you are amazing all by yourself!

This look was initially inspired by MAC's Strength collection. I was SO EXCITED that Pink Pigeon (bright pink) and Party Parrot (warm, bright pink) lipsticks were coming back plus Firm Form, a black and gold lipstick?!?! And then MAC decided not to distribute it to counters, which meant it quickly sold out online. :( So no new lipstick for me. But I decided to give golden black lipstick a try. Because anyone can do a shimmery black smoky eye and neutral lips but why not try something different?

Lips:
-Urban Decay Lip Primer
-Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
-NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Aigle Noire (ultimately unnecessary but what else am I going to do with it?)
-L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss in The Muse's Shine which was LE but any gloss with a strong gold shimmer will do.

Basic steps:
1. Prep your face as needed. You don't want to go overboard with blush or shimmer, the goal is clean, slightly glowing skin. As I get oily skin pretty quickly, I opt for luminizer in my primer and a matte powder to set, but you may need to switch it up. A light cheek contour with blush/highlighter completes the look.

2. Luminous, glowing eyes: I wanted a clean, shimmery eye look, to brighten my eyes without making them the center of attention. Mixing pale shimmers adds depth without too much extra work and a matte shadow on the brow bone nicely balances the shimmery lids. The look is complete with precise but not overdone brows, curled lashes and mascara.

3. THOSE LIPS THOUGH. Okay prep the heck outta your lips. Exfoliate and moisturize, but wipe off the excess moisturizer before applying the lip primer. Give the primer a little time to set, and then outline and partially fill in your lips with black long-wear eyeliner. Smudge it towards the center of your lips, and then fill your lips in with the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil. You can top it with the NARS pencil but I ultimately felt this step was unnecessary, as it didn't make much of a difference. I found the easiest way to apply the gloss was to put some on the back of my hand and apply it with a lip brush, making sure to add a little extra along the cupids bow and in the center of the bottom lip.

SRS BIZNESS FACE!

I assure you, I tried to style my hair, it's not just bedhead. And yes, there is a slight pink tint because I like a little bit of pink hair on the weekends.

If I had to pick a New Year's Mani, instead of the shimmery purple I'm wearing right now, it would have to be a version of my opal manicure:

This is seven coats of nail polish, but I think the end result is SO FREAKING GORGEOUS so I don't care. I'll do an upcoming post on this (promise!) but it is basically a white jelly sandwich with opalescent glitter & gold shimmer in between the white layers. I think it's prettier and slightly unexpected compared to the the usual metallics.

And that's my New Year's post! I'm definitely planning on blogging more in 2013, I've got recipes I've been working on and beauty to chat about! Happy New Year everyone!